Kingdom Hearts: Kingdom of Shadows
by JereduLevenin
Summary: AU Post KH1, doesn't follow KH2 or anything that is learned in 2. Sora thought the battle was over. But, when the stars begin flickering again, can he bring himself to keep fighting? OCs. Don't let this turn you away. REVISED Ch 2 is up.
1. Prologue

Heya, folks! Behold: the reason for my hiatus! This is going to be the first Kingdom Hearts story I've ever WRITTEN (I've written a lot of FMA and other stuff, I just never type it up). I AM including the five main OCs from _Oreta Tsubasa De_ (My other fic, which I must rename: I meant for it to be "WITH Broken Wings." Their names are as follows: Tiras, Aiylah Lohengren, Vanlith Rosiel (Van for short), Koru Alloran, and Seraphim A'Lonquin. Again, it's a crossover with my original fic. My FMA fic was Tiras/Aiylah. HOWEVER- _Kingdom of Shadows_ is going to be strongly Van/Tiras. There will be no references made to anything that occurs in the FMA fic. These fics do not follow any particular timeline. As far as this fic is concerned, the FMA fic never happened.

Now, It's going to be AU in that it occurs after the first game, but does NOT follow the next two games, or anything that you learn in those games. So, as far as this fic is concerned, there IS NO SUCH THING AS A NOBODY. However, when that situation arises, I have still devised a clever solution to satisfy all the rabid KH nerds. I started the ideas for this fic BEFORE Kingdom Hearts II was released, and I REALLY don't want to change my story! It came first!

BTW, all of my characters have themesongs, and I will occasionally post one at the beginning of a new chapter. Van has two(maybe three), and you'll see why eventually.

Now, I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters. Nor do I own anything of Disney's… Or Square Enix's. Just the above mentioned characters and all background surrounding them (i.e. worlds and universes and OCs not mentioned above)

Now, without further adieu… I present to you:

Kingdom Hearts: Kingdom of Shadows

Prologue

_Thinking of you, wherever you are _

_We pray for our sorrows to end,  
and hope that our hearts will blend.  
Now I will step forward to realize this wish._

_And who knows:  
starting a new journey may not be so hard  
or maybe it has already begun._

_There are many worlds,  
but they share the same sky-  
one sky, one destiny._

Sora blinked, looking carefully up into the obsidian sky. There, just to the left of the moon… Could it be…? Sora wasn't sure…There, it happened again! Sora sat up, rubbing his eyes, just to be sure. There was no denying it. He stood slowly. The star was flickering, twinkling fitfully in the night sky. Oh, how he hoped against hope that it was just something that could be explained away- the warm night air, or whatever it was that made the stars twinkle. But, deep down, he knew better. A sickening fear clenched his heart… And the star went out.

Disbelief raced through his body- sure, he knew beyond doubt what was happening, but he still refused to accept it. Because, by accepting that the darkness was back, it meant that all he had done to fight it was for nothing. He had suffered for nothing. All of his sorrow, his pain, his loneliness…Riku. All of that, for nothing? He had been betrayed by his best friend, once, and for what- nothing? He was still searching… for Riku, and the King- King Mickey.

A thought hit Sora even as he sank to his knees, overwhelmed. Riku and Mickey had gone to the world of darkness to protect them- to seal it off. The only way that darkness could get through would be if there were an open Keyhole, somewhere. And, if the Heartless could get through, then…

"_Riku."_

So… whaddya think, folks? Read and Review, please! I always reply to my reviewers, and if I didn't, I'm sorry- remind me and I will! I want to get constructive feedback! I'm going to try something different- I'm not going to set a minimum length for my chapters- I just ended up getting stuck and writing filler. So, some chapters may be short, and some may be long. But, this approach should improve the quality of my stories. I will probably do a lot of revising later on, so the quality of the chapters may be a little off. I am my own beta, so forgive me. However, I'm really fussy about grammar and writing well, so there shouldn't be too many problems. I love feedback, so _constructive_ flames are welcome! I warn you: unlike the FMA fic, this one WILL be yaoi, but nothing graphic. It will be mostly OC/OC, but I'll probably include some Leon/Cloud(those two are so smexy) and Riku/Sora(mostly fluff and angst- an odd combo, I know). I love all of you reviewers(puppy eyes)… so REVIEW! glares Do it, or else you'll feel guilty! I may set a "no review, no update" policy. If no one is reading my story, why bother updating? So, if you want to see it continue, you know what to do ;).


	2. Chapter 1

Kingdom Hearts: Kingdom of Shadows

Same disclaimer as before. I own nothing but my characters and their stories. Chapter one is pretty short, y'all.

* * *

Van's theme I (Spoiler, but you won't know what it means, anyway, so I'll just post it ;).)

From Tiras's point of view…

_"My heart is like Winter's cold fire,"_

_Your pale lips once said._

_Then you smiled, and you turned away  
Eyes blazing red._

_Though you fain would hear me,_

_Gone where I can't tread;_

_I pray for thee and that the Sea shall not_

_Yet give up her dead._

_And though I can't protect you,_

_I've tried to understand_

_All the things you tell me, all you do and say_

_Bound by chains of both hope and despair._

_In a world without boundaries,_

_The greatest Heart of all_

_Lies in the One Bereft of Love,_

_Now, torn asunder, first to Fall.

* * *

_

Chapter One

(In Hollow Bastion)

_WHAM!_

Leon ran into the library, slamming the door open.

"Aerith!"

Aerith bookmarked the page she had been reading and silently placed the tome on a table.

"Yes?" She raised an eyebrow in curiosity. The man was out of breath, and he seemed to be almost... excited, or worried, which was completely out of character for him. Leon never lost his composure. No matter the circumstances, Leon was always very careful to maintain that mask of indifference to the rest of the world.

"Leon... What's wrong?" She whispered. Leon opened his mouth to answer, and then closed it again when words failed him. Instead, he lifted his head and, for the first time since he entered the room, met Aerith's concerned gaze. When Aerith looked into his eyes, she saw something very, very close to fear.

And that scared her.

It chilled her to the core.

That fear in Leon's eyes was terrifying to comprehend, and it scared her more than anything the Heartless had ever done during the crisis one year ago. If _Leon_ was worried, how did that bode for the rest of them? Leon finally found the voice to speak.

"It's the Heartless. They're back. The stars have been disappearing from the sky, and more rapidly than the first time..." He paused so the gravity of his message could sink in. "That's not all, either," he began.

"Are there Heartless _here_?" Aerith stood quickly. If the Heartless had come to Hollow Bastion... She would not lose her home again!

"No... at least, not yet." Aerith sighed in relief. At least they were still relatively safe... well, for now, anyway.

"What're you guys talking about, huh?" They both looked up to see who the intruder was...

"Yuffie." The hyperactive ninja grinned. Normally, Leon would have simply groaned and ignored her, but...

"Why are you guys so serious? What's going on?" The girl's eyes flicked back and forth between the two faces, her curiosity once again taking hold.

"Yuffie," Leon stated again. "Go find Cid and Merlin, and tell them to come here quickly. I need to speak to all of you- something has happened, and it _will_ affect all of us in the immediate future." The girl ninja nodded and darted back through the open door. Leon turned back to Aerith, rubbing his temples with calloused fingertips.

"Well, if nothing else, she runs fast. She'll be able to find those two quickly enough." Aerith simply nodded, preferring not to speak. She needed to think this shocking turn of events over before she would be ready to deal with anything so mundane as small talk concerning Yuffie's athletic prowess.

Leon began to pace, walking off some anxiety. Aerith sat back down. She still couldn't believe that the Heartless had managed to get through the Door. King Mickey and Riku had remained in the world of the Heartless to seal the Door from their side, and Sora had done the same on this end. The sealing of the Door resulted in all of the worlds being closed off, so she hadn't heard anything from Sora for a while. Maybe, though, since the Heartless were traveling among the worlds again, the worlds were once more connected...? Cid could build them a Gummi ship; they could try to find Sora... Leon stopped pacing and came over to lean against the bookcase next to her.

"Here they come." At Leon's statement, the door to the library swung open to admit three figures.

"What's all this about an emergency? I have work to do," Cid grumbled, hooking his thumbs in his pockets and walking over to sit in a chair near Aerith. That Yuffie had come barging in, nearly knocking the door off of its friggin' hinges, telling him he'd better get in the library, right now! Honestly, he didn't know why he put up with the brat... (Of course, he could never admit that he had a soft spot for the child... His gruff manner wouldn't permit it.)

Merlin merely paced across the floor to stand by Cid. He looked up expectantly, waiting for the gunblade-wielder to begin. Though he still refused to be called anything but Leon, Merlin would always know him as Squall Leonhart.

Leon's pacing halted.

"Something terrible has happened. It's an emergency, so listen up!…."

TBC…


	3. Chapter 2

Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers! I will reply to anonymous reviews here, but I will simply send my replies to signed reviewers unless the reviews ask a question about the story and I think the answer should be read by everyone.

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All right- same disclaimer as before: I own nothing but my own characters and their stories. 

BTW, for reasons I have yet to come up with, Sora is in Disney Castle in the beginning. He's outside in the prologue (obviously).

* * *

Kingdom Hearts: Kingdom of Shadows 

REVISED Chapter Two

Crimson lightning reflected in yellow, slitted eyes as it tore across a boiling sky. It was not an army of Heartless that faced the two lonely figures; it was a sea, a dark tide. The owner of the eyes began to chant:

_"Fire above, fire below. Black wind burning, singing, churning. Come to me, Black World's Voice. Call down the Stars, ravage Time. _

_"Fell the mighty, Lonely Tower. Silk and Fire and Blood and Light. Come to me, Silence Weaver. Boil the Sky, shatter the Seas._

_"Sing the Storm of Mounting Terror. Sky to Earth, Day to Night. Come to me, Shadow-Lover. Fade the Sun, Devour the Moon._

_"Malice hangs in stagnant air. Doom's Bell tolls a warning Knell. Come, Destruction; thy Name is Ruin! Bring to the earth Your waking Hell!"_

There was a new presence in the air, expectant, waiting. The Heartless froze in their jittering and turned as one to face the two men- the fools who thought they could stand in the way of Destiny. With a single voice, the legion began to wail, a high-pictched keen that pierced the dead air. The earth- the ground beneath them shuddered. The golded-eyed man squinted further as the air before them warped and twisted in a rapidly approaching arc.

The first wave came. It was like a ripple in a pond from a cast stone. As it neared the two men, the wind whipped long hair into their faces. The first shockwave passed them with a low, deafening blast. The taller of the two turned to face his raven-haired companion, brushing silver locks from his finely-chiseled face. He spoke not a word, but merely nodded and fixed his gaze on the black mass once again. Swiftly, he pulled two enormous swords from their scabbards and thrust them into the soil before his feet, body armor glinting in the eerie light. The wave of heartless was upon them.

It broke around the swords as though sliding from an invisible barrier, much as a swift rapid courses around jutting rocks.

The raven-haired man spoke.

"Are all of the Aeld safe? The _Bel'Thram_ will not be held back long, Seraphim."

The silver-haired man nodded silently, then whispered.

"...Now. Do it, Van."

Van muttered to himself softly, then slowly raised his head. His golden eyes flew wide open, the pupils narrowed to mere slits. He slowly raised a black-gloved hand to the sky, and whispered a single word.

_"...Grindmaur."_

Then the sky was torn open, flaming clouds evaporating to reveal an enormous... something. Destruction from the heavens. A God of Destruction had come to the call, bringing Grindmaur with it. A colossal dragon, clutching the moon with a claw the size of a continent. His wing blocked the heavens from view. He was Helgrind, First Beast of Apocalypse. He turned to fix the world of Mauroleith with a saffron eye, then opened His great jaws. Intense light seemed to fly to the Beast's maw, aimed at the planet.

_"DOOM."_

Van lowered his hand and slumped down in exhaustion, making no effort to defend himself against the tide that leapt for him, his protective barrier suddenly gone. The Heartless came, burying the two in shadow.

_"DOOM."_

The world shattered into a million points of light.

**_"DOOM_."**

Helgrind vanished, task complete.

* * *

A puff of dirt rose from the cobbled street as a young man sat down beneath the hazy light of a lantern. 

He turned his weary gaze upward to the perpetually starry sky of Traverse Town. Another star was flickering. But... this one wasn't getting fainter. If anything, it began to flare brighter... The young man's eyes were riveted to the star. It flashed in brilliance, then disappeared in an explosion that expanded in a halo around the now empty space. The man felt goosebumps prickle along the back of his neck.

He sighed. "_Ardfen _triumphs, I suppose... We won this round- a hollow, bitter victory. The Heartless will not be so easily pushed back next time. This town's very existence proves that."

He slowly rose to his feet and headed toward the item shop, then stopped awkwardly when he realized he had none of this world's currency. A young voice spoke from behind him.

"Tiras... It was a necessary sacrifice, to stop the Darkness. We WILL bring Mauroleith back. We'll bring ALL the worlds back, you'll see. We just need to find a way to seal out the Darkness for good."

Tiras sighed, reaching out to ruffle the readhead's hair affectionately. He didn't see how anything would ever go back to the way it was... How could anyone forget the thing's he had seen?

"Aiylah... you're too damn optomistic... but, right now, this world really needs that. Thanks, kid."

Aiylah huffed, an outraged expression playing across his ageless face.

"Don't forget, Tiras- I'm still your elder by 32 years!"

Tiras growled and leapt upwards to land in a crouch on a low rooftop. He sat down again, the starlight shimmering in his dark blond hair. He shut brilliant blue eyes as he reclined somewhat stiffly, his back still aching from his landing in a cardboard box in some cursed back alley of this place. Rooftops really were the best place to go if one needed to think.

Tiras found it a little hard to relax, though, as he was still pissed off about the landing. He had somehow managed to lose his sword in the transfer to this world. He couldn't find it anywhere in his immediate area... However, he HAD been unconscious for gods knew how long. Anyone could have seen it and taken it... He almost felt sorry for the theif- because whoever had walked away with his sword was going to be very disinclined to walk _anywhere_ for a very LONG time after Tiras was through with them. He began to doze.

* * *

"Sora! Sora, where are you!?" '_Donald.'_ Sora flinched and continued the launch sequence, ignoring the insufferable duck's incessant quacking. _'All right... I hope this thing still works...'_

Sora had managed to commandeer a gummi ship- HIS old gummi ship, and one of the only remaining ships at Disney Castle. If he could get it to work, then that would prove that the Darkness was incontestably back. He hadn't imagined that vanishing star. He had to investigate, but he wanted to do it alone. If the gummi ship flew, and if Traverse Town was back, then the worlds _must_ be connected again.

He yelped as the ship dropped down and out of the Gummi Launch Center. He grasped the controls and quickly steadied it. In the times before, he had really only _watched_ Goofy and Donald operate the thing, but he paid close attention, learning the controls by observation. He flew forward with a whoop. The worlds were indeed connected, once again. But, that meant the Darkness was back, too. The Heartless were coming through to this side...

"If there's a way out, then there MUST be a way in! I'm coming, Riku."

Soon enough, he could see that he was approaching a world... and there it was- Traverse Town.

**_BEEP BEEP__ BEEP!_**

Sora jumped about a foot out of his seat as the com-device's screen blinked on to reveal an extremely irate, sputtering Donald Duck. Goofy nudged him over and peered into the camera.

"Gawrsh, Sora. Why'd 'ya leave without us? How come the Gummi ship's workin'? What's goin' on? And where are ya?"

Sora faltered.

"Uh... I'll be back in a little bit. There's something I need to check out, okay? Sorry I left without telling you guys. Don't worry about me; I'm only one world over."

"WORLD!? But, Sora! Hold o-"

Sora pressed the 'off' button on the com device. He landed the Gummi ship and pushed open the enormous World Gates of Traverse Town. He grinned.

_'Wow, it sure has been a while!'_

TBC...

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Well... That didn't turn out quite how I expected it to... Lemme know what you think? 

Next Chappie: Humor ensues when Tiras and Aiylah bump into Sora, resulting in a brief misunderstanding.

R&R, people!

I'm working on Chapter 3 right now, now that I've finished fixing this chapter.


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